In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Christian Brueckner, the 49‑year‑old convicted sex offender, insisted he was merely 150 yards from Madeleine McCann's apartment on the night she disappeared.
Brueckner told reporters he was on a beach near the Ocean Club resort, selling illegal cannabis, and that police stopped him three times as they searched for the child. “I was even stopped by police three times on the street while they were looking for Maddie,” he said.
German investigators named Brueckner as the main suspect in 2020, citing phone‑record evidence that placed a device registered to him near the apartment at the time of the disappearance.
Despite the allegations, prosecutors have not filed formal charges because of insufficient direct evidence, leaving the case open.
A family friend, who was at the restaurant that night, later recalled seeing a man walking away with a small child in pajamas, though it was likely another holidaymaker.
The McCann family continues to push for a new investigation, while authorities await more concrete evidence before moving forward.